These Are The Healthiest Fast Food French Fries You Can Buy Right Now

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The perfect order at a drive-thru can sometimes feel like a minor act of rebellion — crispy, salty, instantly gratifying. But what if you could have that hot, crunchy side with your mouthwatering fast food burger and also make a slightly smarter choice for your body? There is a fast food french fry that, with a few sensible caveats, stacks up better than most — not because fries are a health food, but because of how they’re cut, cooked, and portioned. For the most health-conscious fast food offering, give Wendy’s natural-cut, skin-on fries a try.

These delicious golden fries are a simple combination of potatoes, vegetable oil, and sea salt. Wendy’s website publishes full nutrition facts and ingredient details for those fries, which includes potassium and fiber figures that are higher than some competitors because the fries keep the potato skin. That “natural-cut” approach (along with the no trans fats and transparent nutrition labeling) is the basis for why many would consider Wendy’s the healthiest fast food fries you can buy right now in the U.S., provided you choose portions carefully.

Let’s keep in mind that “healthiest” here is relative. Unlike healthier homemade fries like those made in the air fryer, all fast-food fries are deep-fried and higher in calories, fat, and sodium than boiled or baked potatoes. Recent research links regular french fry consumption to higher cardiometabolic risk — so fries are not exactly a health food. But compared with some competitors whose portions, added toppings, or frying oils push calories and fat far higher, Wendy’s balance of an unprocessed cut, clear ingredient list, and moderate sodium in smaller sizes gives it an edge.

How to order french fries smart

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When it comes to fast food fries, choose a small or share a medium. A list of calories, fat, sodium, fiber, and potassium has been compiled on Wendy’s nutrition PDF, revealing that the small and medium sizes are reasonable if you’re mindful (and are far better than supersized options at many other chains). Watching portion size is the single most effective move when it comes to healthier fast food, as a smaller serving cuts calories and sodium dramatically while still delivering that familiar crunch.

The edges of Wendy’s fries are also important. Keeping the skin on preserves a bit more fiber and micronutrients (potassium, B vitamins) than stripped, processed fries. Wendy’s highlights the skin-on “natural-cut” method. Additionally, the chain lists vegetable oil (rather than partially hydrogenated oils) and sea salt as the only additions, which helps avoid trans fats and other unnecessary additives. Still, while vegetable oil is great for frying, that’s still a pretty broad term, and frying at high temperatures creates compounds you’d prefer to avoid if you eat fries often.

So, if you’re going to enjoy fast food fries in the U.S. and want the most defensible health tradeoffs, Wendy’s is a reasonable pick — but only in moderation. If you choose a small and pair it with protein and veggies on the rest of your plate, you can rest assured knowing that fries are an occasional pleasure rather than a staple.